Giant rat warning: number of massive rodents in uk unknown

He said that the rats can typically reach up to three or four feet long from head to tail. Dr Clarke explained that much like the common Brown rat, these pets will eat anything they can get

their hands on. He said: "This rat would be eating whatever it could find, including fried chicken, chips or rice." The rats are commonly kept as pets but no survey has been done

to find out just how many giant rats are kept in the UK.  Dr Clarke said: “They’re pretty popular and there are owners clubs and that sort of thing.  “They are quite a popular pet and are

one of the biggest species of rat in the world.  “As far as I’m aware the only African pouched rats in Britain are kept as pets but there is no evidence of them being in the UK in the wild.

  “There has not been a survey to keep track of them.”  Jan Zalasiewicz, professor of palaeobiology at the University of Leicester said the discovery was “extraordinary”.  He said: “If it is

an African pouched rat then it’s a beautiful example of the different species that are popping up all over the world.  “These rats can get out and breed and we could see new breeds if that

did happen.  “We are seeing a merry go round in the way that animals are moved around and most of that is down to humans who are moving them.  “It means we will see more species like this in

the UK.”  The mutant rat found in Hackney is four times the average rat size in the UK. A spokesperson for Pest-control experts Rentokils aid: "As a comparison the body of your average

Brown Rat is up to 40cm in length with a tail shorter than the head and body, and about 350g - 500g in weight. "They prefer ground living and burrowing but sometime have been know to

climb. In urban areas there is often ready access to food, water and shelter. "The Brown Rat is the only species to occur in sewers in the UK. "A four foot rat would probably break

the laws of evolution."